It has been a major issue that traditional assessment strategies contradict what we know about the nature of learning fostered by PBL The use of inappropriate assessment methods has been found to negate the effectiveness of PBL (Lai et al., 1997). In this study, students' perception of the subject Clothing Manufacture were compared and analysed in two different situations: 1) A partial PBL implementation in the 1998/99 semester with a final written examination; and 2) A full PBL implementation in the 1999/2000 semester using 100% continuous assessment. Students' perception of PBL is much better when using 100% continuous assessment than when using a final examination. 86% in the former said PBL is good and useful while 50% did so under the latter condition. Subjects of the former group were also asked for their preference on assessment methods. 98% of them preferred continuous assessment and 92% of them were satisfied with the different types of assessment methods and arrangements.

Relay Thinking (RT) is a thinking process borrows the concepts found in running a relay race. These concepts are then modify so that the co-operative advantages found in a "relay" are put in group thinking projects. In 1997, eight secondary Design and Technology (D&T) students used RT to generate ideas in order to solve a pre-set problem. The objective of this study was to see the possibilities and limitations of using the process in D&T problem solving activities. The performance of the students were noted during the thinking activities and interviews were conducted after the activities. The interviews did not aim at investigating the students' solutions to the problem, but rather their experience in using RT.
In this paper the concept of RT will first be described. The results of the study of the secondary students using the process will then be presented. From the results of the study, RT provides an alternative to individual and group thinking experiences, although some modifications on the thinking activities are necessary. The results also indicate that secondary students should be provided with more opportunities to have group co-operation in problem solving activities.

Originating from medical education, problem-based learning is increasingly used in other types of professional education. Tempted by the many successful experiences elsewhere, we have taken a bold step to try out this teaching approach in a course on apparel merchandising. We started with a pilot project with the objective to enhance students' experience so as to to encourage lifelong learning and benefit the apparel business as a whole. This paper describes in details the reasons behind our decision to adopt this teaching strategy. Various factors like students' prior learning experience and the availability of resources in the planning of a hybrid PBL course structure are also discussed. Based on the planned course structure, problem cases are identified and developed with reference to various PBL concepts and experiences. The guidelines and concept maps, which determine the contents of the problem cases, are outlined.

In the design of the B.Sc. (Surveying) curriculum at The University of Hong Kong, there are two major components: the academic core subjects and the Surveying Studio. We identified economics, law, management, and construction as four main subject areas. Subject-based and instructor-centred lectures and tutorials provide the academic underpinning of the curriculum. In addition, the Surveying Studio is designed to integrate and apply the academic knowledge in a professional manner. A multidisciplinary and student-centred learning approach is employed. Students, working in small group, are responsible for their own learning, individually and in collaboration with peers. Based on real world case studies, problem scenarios are designed and developed. A problem scenario is an open-ended and ill-structured problem in an authentic context. It allows students to explore different viewpoints, different pathways to different solutions, and different learning styles. Students work through problem scenarios to achieve the desired learning objectives. This paper outlines the concepts behind our student-centred learning framework for the Surveying Studio. Our experiences related to the benefits achieved and problems involved in the implementation process are discussed.

The School of Design has been providing a design subject for engineering students since 1998. The subject aims at enriching students' experience in creative thinking, as well other design activities. Through project activities, each student attending the subject is required to initiate a design idea, and later to put the idea into practice. The first evaluation of the subject was conducted in 1999. The results show that engineering students, who normally tackle problems pre-defmed by teachers/supervisors or with only limited choices, find it difficult to initiate "creative" ideas without a direction and well- defined scope. Thus, in 1999/2000, instead of designing and innovating objects without any guidelines or boundaries, or, on the contrary, being provided with fixed/limited topics, the students were encouraged to respect cultures and users' practices in order to identify needs and opportunities, and then develop their ideas. The results of the subject evaluation in 2000 indicate that respecting cultures and users' practices is a good direction and scope set for students to carry out creativity activities, particularly for those students without much experience in initiating creative ideas. On the one hand, it allows students a certain degree of guidance in initiating ideas. On the other hand, it does not limit the possibility for students to initiate and develop their ideas, as "cultures and users' practices" is a dynamic everyday life topic which allows students much flexibility to investigate and explore, and a good basis for generating ideas. This paper explains the concept of respecting cultures and users' practice, and the rationale underlying student creativity activities. By illustrating some of the students' work and the results of evaluations, the paper discusses the advantages and limitations of this kind of idea initiation activities for students in general and for engineering students in particular.